Flight Safety Information
May 29, 2013 - No. 107
In This Issue
Singapore A388 enroute on May 26th 2013, clear air turbulence
Is it a worry to have just one pilot in the cockpit?
San Jose: Plane returns to airport after reports of smoke in cockpit
Annual SMS Audit Results Released
China Opens Skies to Privately Owned Airlines
Risk management approach to aviation safety required?
Singapore A388 enroute on May 26th 2013, clear air turbulence
A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800, registration 9V-SKH performing flight
SQ-308 from Singapore (Singapore) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was
enroute about 90 minutes into the flight at around 02:30Z, breakfast was just
being served, when the aircraft encountered severe clear air turbulence
resulting in an altitude deviation of about 100 feet and all loose items
becoming airborne. The aircraft continued the flight to London for a safe
landing about 13 hours after departure. 7 people received minor injuries
during the turbulence encounter.
The aircraft was unable to perform the return flight SQ-319 on time and
departed for the return as flight SQ-319D the following day about 28 hours
after landing.
Scenes on board shortly after the encounter (Photo: Alan Cross):
Infrared Satellite Image VISSR May 26th 2013 06:00Z (Photo:
Meteosat):
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Is it a worry to have just one pilot in the cockpit?
To cut costs, a European consortium is eyeing ways to replace co-pilots with computers -
leaving just one human in the cockpit.
Flying almost solo could be the future of air travel.
A consortium of airline stakeholders and engineers is hashing out a way to cut pilot costs
by clearing out the cockpit so it's manned by just one person, a captain at the flight deck.
The European Commission-funded research initiative known as ACCESS, or Advanced
Cockpit for Reduction of Stress and Workload, is looking at ways to introduce automated
systems that would effectively replace the duties of the captain's first officer.
Project ACCESS comprises 35 European manufacturers, research institutions and
aerospace engineering firms, including Boeing, Airbus, Thales and Jeppesen.
One of the partner stakeholders, the air-to-ground communications company TriaGnoSys,
released a statement this month explaining that the mission of ACCESS is to seek a "long-
term answer for aviation operations" and to also "identify the remaining open issues for
the implementation of potential single pilot operations."
That prospect could be worrying for some air travelers.
"Airliner cockpits have gone from three-pilot standards down to two-pilot standard, and in
a lot of people's minds, it stands to reason that eventually there will be the one-pilot
cockpit," said Patrick Smith, a Massachusetts-based commercial pilot and author of
"Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel."
Pilots have also taken issue with the argument that introducing automated systems would
reduce the chance of human error resulting in accidents, which are still few and far
between.
An editorial about ACCESS in the trade publication Flight International argued that
judgments that the pilots are the problem is part of a distorted perspective - "rather like
blaming the goalkeeper for all the goals scored against his team."
Smith said single-pilot commercial airliners, aside from smaller private jets, are very rare.
The three-pilot standard was, for the most part, phased out about 15 years ago with the
debut of higher-tech 727 and DC-10 jets that eventually eliminated the flight engineer's
role.
But trimming a second pilot from the crew to leave the captain alone in the cockpit raises
many questions, Smith said.
"Going from three to two pilots is not the same as going from two to one," he said. "Let's
say the airliner with one pilot is out over the ocean right now. The pilot becomes
incapacitated somehow. Well, what happens now? I can't even begin to answer that."
Technologies aren't yet advanced enough to truly fly a plane without constant human
supervision or at least tweaking of the controls or settings. While the general public may
believe that systems such as auto-flight systems do much of the work, Smith said that's a
very false impression.
"You still have to tell the auto-flight system what to do, how to do it, when to do it," he
explained. "It's sort of like cruise control on your car. It alleviates the operator from
certain tasks, but it can't drive your car from one city to the next."
http://news.msn.com/world/is-it-a-worry-to-have-just-one-pilot-in-the-cockpit
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San Jose: Plane returns to airport after reports of smoke in cockpit
A US Airways flight bound for Phoenix had to turn back and land shortly after leaving
Mineta San Jose airport Tuesday afternoon after crew members saw smoke in the cockpit,
according to airport and company officials.
Flight 517, an Airbus 319, was scheduled to leave at 4:05 p.m. but returned about a half-
hour later due to reports of smoke in the cabin, said US Airways spokeswoman Liz
Landau.
Landau didn't have further information about how much smoke there was or its source.
She said the plane landed and 90 passengers disembarked without incident.
"With an abundance of caution, we are taking a look at the aircraft," she said. "I don't
know if it will go back into service tonight."
Landau said Tuesday evening that the airline is working with passengers to get them to
their destinations.
http://www.mercurynews.com/traffic/ci_23340670/san-jose-plane-returns-airport-after-
reports-smoke
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China Opens Skies to Privately Owned Airlines
China's aviation regulator has lifted a six-year ban against creating independent
airlines, a sign of liberalization in one of the nation's most tightly regulated sectors.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China this month gave the green light to a
Shandong-based conglomerate to set up Qingdao Airlines, which plans to operate from
the northeastern port city. Two weeks earlier the regulator allowed Yunnan Jing Cheng
Group to establish Ruili Airlines in western China, with plans to operate on domestic
routes.
The decisions marked a change from the regulator's practice in recent years.
"The recent approvals appear to be a gesture from Chinese leaders to encourage private
investments into key sectors," said Boyong Liu, an aviation analyst at the Jefferies
brokerage firm.
Premier Li Keqiang in March said China's new leadership was eager to allow private
businesses to compete on an equal footing with state-owned enterprises.
To protect and better develop state-owned airlines, the government in 2007 said it
would stop accepting applications for new airlines until 2010. But while the deadline had
come and gone, the CAAC hadn't moved on a flurry of applications for new privately
owned startups, airline executives said.
The CAAC briefly experimented with liberalization in the middle of the last decade.
Spring Airlines Co., now the nation's biggest low-cost carrier, began service in 2005.
Juneyao Airlines Co.'s maiden flight took off in 2006. But safety concerns and financial
troubles for many fledgling carriers prompted the regulator to tighten the reins.
Meanwhile, China's state carriers, notorious for inefficiency and large fleets, floundered
during the global financial crisis around 2008, requiring injections of state funds.
The push for new airlines underscores efforts by provincial governments that hoped
expanded air service could help bring tourists and encourage trade. Ruili Airlines' fleet
of Boeing 737s, based in the city of Ruili near the Myanmar border, will help improve
domestic air links in an area underserved by major state carriers. Owner Yunnan Jing
Cheng has investments in hospitality, tourism industry and infrastructure.
Qingdao Airlines will operate a fleet of Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 jets. The carrier will
be controlled by Nanshan Group, whose businesses include finance, property and
aluminum production, with a 55% stake. Qingdao Transportation Development Group
will own 25%. Shandong Airlines Co., a unit of Chinese flag carrier Air China Ltd., will
hold the remaining 20%.
The recent approvals showcase one of China's main struggles: balancing the central
government's interests against those of individual provinces, said Will Horton, senior
analyst at consulting firm CAPA-Centre for Aviation. That struggle plays out nationwide
in the airline industry, he said. "Each province wants its own airline."
Analysts said they don't expect a dramatic shift in the nation's airline policies, however,
expecting that any liberalization would be limited because of increased congestion and a
shortage of trained flight crews. Bottlenecks because of congestion and bad weather
have caused on-time performance of Chinese carriers to deteriorate. Among all flights
operated by Chinese airlines last year, 25.2% didn't take off or land on schedule, up
from 22.8% a year earlier, according to the CAAC.
"The top priority at CAAC is to strengthen the three state carriers in competing with
their international rivals," said Mr. Liu, of Jefferies.
China's civil-aviation market is dominated by the three state-owned carriers: Air China,
China Southern Airlines Co. and China Eastern AirlinesCorp. Hainan Airlines Co., which
is backed by Hainan province, also is an important player.
CAPA's Mr. Horton said the solution to resolving problems with inefficiency is for further
consolidation among the Chinese carriers. "These newly established airlines will not help
the status quo," he said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324412604578512943973853754.htm
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Risk management approach to aviation safety required?
The Civil Aviation Authority is seeking the views of New Zealand's aviation sector on a
proposal to require a risk management approach to aviation safety.
The CAA is recommending a move to risk-based regulation, moving New Zealand in
line with international standards.
Director of Civil Aviation, Graeme Harris said: 'The aviation system plays a vital role in
New Zealand's economy. But, growth in aviation activity poses a challenge. While our
aviation system is currently one of the safest in the world, if accident rates are not
reduced, the number of accidents will grow as activity increases. Thus, hazards and
associated safety risks must be better managed.'
'Because risks include a wide variety of factors the challenge for aviation organisations
and regulators is to proactively manage these to avoid accidents. We need to evolve
our approach to safety to further reduce accident rates.' Mr Harris said.
What this means for the sector
'The proposed change means that operators would be required to implement a risk
management framework, such as a Safety Management System (SMS). SMS has
recently been adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation as standard
international practice.' He said.
To obtain even greater safety and value, the CAA is considering whether its use
should be mandatory across the New Zealand system, both internationally and
domestically. More information can be found on the CAA
website,www.caa.govt.nz/sms.
The Civil Aviation Authority is already shifting its focus to a risk-based approach to
safety oversight and prioritising regulatory interventions in the aviation system.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1305/S01129/risk-management-approach-to-
aviation-safety-required.htm
Curt Lewis